The customers were local non-profit organizations Parkworks and Downtown Cleveland Alliance, which have long been dissatisfied with the current state of the square: divided into four parts and cut off along the perimeter from the surrounding quarters by busy highways, it plays the role of an "open bus station" - there are many public transport stops - but nothing more. … This flat space is open to the wind and does not attract the townspeople at all.
It was the architects' task to give the square a pleasant look and functionality, corresponding to its key position in the city center. The Field Operations workshop presented a choice of three reconstruction options at once - different costs, different formalities and different degrees of originality. The latter was no less important than the first two aspects: according to the customers, the "iconic" image of the square will attract tourists to the city, revitalize the surrounding neighborhoods, raise real estate prices there and thereby help turn unpopular high-rise office buildings into expensive housing, which will also be contribute to the growth of the prosperity of Cleveland, a former industrial center, now experiencing some decline.
Most of all, the organizing committee dealing with the problem of Public Square liked the "Thread" project, according to which separate parts of the square will be "sewn" together. A 20-meter green hill will be created there, allowing easy movement throughout Public Square; it will also act as an observation deck. Spacious openings for transport will be left under it: the existing traffic pattern will not be changed. It will also be possible to open cafes, newsstands, etc. under the hill.
The second option, "Forest", is more modest: one of the highways crossing the square is proposed to be closed: its territory and all the rest of the free space will be planted with trees characteristic of the state of Ohio, including maples and oaks. The "Renaissance Garden" will be laid out, fountains will be arranged, a "Solar Lawn" - a meadow suitable for concerts and other similar events will be created. Despite the abundance of greenery, the general appearance will be quite traditional; also the organizers did not like the idea of closing one of the main Cleveland streets.
The third option was named "Frame": huge trellises for climbing plants, 18 m high and 12 m wide, will be erected along the perimeter of Public Square. They will include pedestrian bridges and platforms. The solar panels installed there will generate electricity for the original night illumination. However, according to customers, the bridges will resemble the crossings of the old industrial area of Flats, thereby focusing not on the future, but on the past of Cleveland. The safety measures for the platforms on top of the trellises have also raised doubts, as well as the problem of birds that these structures will attract in large numbers.
The "Thread" option will be presented to the general public in January 2010. The sources of funding for the project have not yet been determined, but it is assumed that the money will be invested in it by developers interested in developing downtown Cleveland.
